Mexican · IV The Method
El Chocolate: From Xocolātl to the Modern Bar
I
Origin
Chocolate's origin is Mexican — the Theobroma cacao tree is native to Mesoamerica, and the Aztec and Mayan civilisations developed the complete processing system from raw cacao pod to finished beverage over 3,000 years before Europeans encountered it. The pre-Columbian xocolātl was unrecognisable as the sweet product of European confectionery — bitter, spiced, cold, and consumed primarily by warriors and royalty.
II
Description
The complete cacao-to-chocolate continuum — from pre-Columbian technique to contemporary Mexican chocolate.
III
The Thread
—European chocolate (the entire European chocolate tradition begins with this Mexican processing system), Peruvian cacao (same Theobroma species — different processing tradition, different flavour prof
IV
Flavour Context
Not yet written for this entry.
Pillars V — VII
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